Prophet Muhammad ﷺ the Teacher

144 Pages·1.13 MB·English

by  Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah

1
2
CLARITAS BOOKS
Bernard Street, Swansea, United Kingdom
Milpitas, California, United States
© CLARITAS BOOKS 2017
This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant
collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written
permission of Claritas Books.
First Published in January 2017
Prophet Muhammad: The Teacher
by Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah
Translated by Muhammad Zahid Abu Ghuddah
Edited by Yasrab Dawud Shah
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-905837-18-2
3
4
SHAYKH ᶜABD AL-FATTĀḤ ABŪ GHUDDAH was born
in Syria in 1917. One of the outstanding Muslim scholars of
the 20th century, Shaykh Abū Ghuddah was a leading scholar
in the �eld of ḥadīth and Ḥanafī school of �qh. He studied in
Syria and Egypt specialising in Arabic language, ḥadīth,
sharīᶜah, and psychology. He had many prominent teachers,
among them Shaykh Rāghib al-Tabbākh, Shaykh Aḥmad ibn
Muḥammad al-Zarqa, Shaykh ᶜĪsā al-Bayanūnī, Shaykh
Aḥmad al-Kurdī, and the renowned Ottoman Scholar Imām
al-Kawtharī. He taught uṣūl al-fiqh, Ḥanafī fiqh and
Comparative fiqh at the University of Damascus. He also
taught at the King Saud University and Imām Muḥammad
ibn Saud Islamic University. He was buried in al-Baqīᶜ
cemetery in Madinah 1997.
5
CONTENT
��������
������������
�������� �������
�� ��������� �� ��� ������ ����� � �������
�� ������� � ����������� ������ �� ��� �������
�� ��� ��������� ������ �� ��������
�� �������� � ���������
�� ������� ������� � �������
�����
6
FOREWORD
P
raise is only for Allah who is the Lord of the entire creation and the
Master of the universe and peace and blessings be upon Muḥammad al-Muṣtafa
who was sent as a mercy for all humankind, upon his family and his followers.
The need of the day is for us to follow the best of all teachers who taught us
how to live a righteous and pious life and seek the pleasure of Allah. We are in
dire need to get to know and understand him as the fountain of knowledge,
science, wisdom, morality, love, compassion, benevolence and mercy.
When the young Hasan al-Banna - whom I’ve know from the time he was
still at school - informed me that he was publishing the translated work of Abdul
Fattāḥ Abū Ghuddah (may Allah’s mercy be upon him) on the Prophetic
methods of teaching, my heart grew in pride not just because I have had the
privilege of observing Hasan’s pious father guide him and provide a loving
Islamic home environment to nurture his considerable talents but also because I
admire the way he has made such wise choices in taking full advantage of the
many educational opportunities available to all those who Allah has sent to live
in this part of the global village. The fact is that there are so many rich and varied
treasures in the Arabic language which I, along with a disproportionately large
part of the Ummah of Muḥammad , am deprived of and any e�ort to raise our
awareness has to be greatly appreciated.
I have of course read other translations of this important work but Ustadh
Zahid Abu Ghuddah’s translation of his esteemed father’s work has managed to
convey a more thorough and detailed insight. It has enhanced the clarity of this
all-important subject with his uniquely personal �ow to thrill the reader into
motivation. It has spurred me even further towards ensuring that the world of
education delves more meticulously into the Prophetic teaching methodologies
which cross all borders of time and space and thereby bene�t from this eternal
fountain of knowledge. I am astonished how little of this perfection is known by
the educationalists I have worked with over the years. We Muslims are fond of
blaming the secularists, the western media, the orientalists and anyone else we can
7
de�ne as the ‘enemy’ of Islam for this ignorance of the ways of our beloved
Prophet. However we are reluctant to recognise the unacceptable levels of
inadequacies and de�ciencies within our own ranks. In an unapologetically
secular world we cannot blame those who are in�uenced by ideas that are well
articulated, e�ectively disseminated and role models which are attractively
presented as celebrities and examples of success.
We as Muslim educationists have so far been demonstrably ine�ective in
�nding ways to present the Prophet as the best, noble and all encompassing
humanitarian role model to the world. Too often the Muslim world turns
towards the West in seeking the best way to educate future generations and often
ignores the fact that “the best” in fact lies in the Jewel of Islam – within the
framework of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet . I am sure that this
book will inspire Muslim teachers to aim towards emulating the ways of the
Prophet Muḥammad in becoming role models for their learners and using the
Prophetic teachings in helping them to learn more e�ectively. It should help
educators to be teachers who hold their caring hands over the heads of learners,
opening their minds with creative imagination and touching their hearts with
compassion.
This translation will no doubt be a source of bene�t for all who are desirous
of raising standards and aiming for educational excellence. Those who, like me,
have received their higher education in England or who are familiar with
contemporary English language terminology in the �eld of education will be able
to identify the basic concepts embedded in the text with ease. For example when
the author describes the “individual di�erences among students” the idea of
di�erentiation, individualised and personalised learning will readily come to
mind. Similarly while you read through the book, page after page, chapter after
chapter you will realise that it is infused with ‘a broad and balanced curriculum’,
‘essential core skills for life’, ‘outcome based learning’, ‘problem based child
centred learning’, ‘strategic planning with clear learning outcomes and targets’,
‘creative and e�ective teaching’, ‘assessment informed teaching techniques and
lesson planning’, ‘cognitive and metacognitive processes’, ‘school and
community engagement’, ‘collaborative learning’, ‘critical thinking skills’,
‘activity based learning’, ‘computer or ICT supported learning’, ‘learning by
teaching’, ‘informal, enquiry-based or co-operative learning’, ‘opening minds
approach to education’, ‘teacher as a role model’, ‘spiritual, moral and emotional
aspects of personal development’, ‘life long learning’, ‘discipline’, ‘social
8
cohesion’, ‘integration’, ‘social justice, ‘equality’, ..... and many more buzz words
of the educational landscape today.
There is no doubt that the solution to ignorance and misunderstanding lies
at the core of an enlightened Islamic education. Perhaps the younger generation
of educationalists amongst the readers of this book who have the command of
both English & Arabic languages will take up the challenge and ful�l the dreams
of de�cient educators like me by translating more of the rich treasures of our
Islamic heritage. May Allah reward everyone involved in this project for their
e�orts and give us all the ability to follow the example of our beloved Prophet
Muḥammad .
Mohammed Akram Khan-Cheema OBE
Former Chief Inspector of Schools in Bradford, UK
9